Marge's Confessions
by J. Watson
Summary: Marge Thompson awaits Nancy's return. Apparently, there were other victims besides the children. Read to find out.


Marge Thompson's entire body quivered with her sobs. It was a delayed reaction after Nancy stormed out of the house. Marge tried to explain Freddy Krueger away. But what could she tell her strong-willed daughter? Nancy was wise and stubborn like her father. There was nothing that Marge could tell Nancy that would change her mind about the nightmares. Marge couldn't even convince Nancy that Rod did in fact kill Tina.

She went into autopilot, cleaning the broken shards of the vodka bottle from the floor. As Marge waited for the cloth to soak up the liquid, she looked at the dusty fedora on the counter. Her mind filled with rage and sadness. Even after all these years, that maniac could still cause so much havoc. But she did wonder where Nancy found that hat. Who was poisoning her daughter's mind by providing her with relics from the past? When the hat appeared at the dream clinic, Marge berated the doctor—asking him who might've given that dirty, filthy thing to Nancy. The doctor kept insisting that the clinic's security was air tight and that nobody could've sneaked into the room before the testing was conducted. As she played the scene over and over again in her mind, Marge didn't know what to think either.

The floor was spotless, the hours passed in a whisper, the security company installed the bars, and Marge waited patiently for Nancy to return home.

As she took another drag from her cigarette, Marge formed the words in her mind. How was she going to tell Nancy the truth? Would it destroy Nancy like it did to her? Marge kept the secret inside for years, and she didn't know how it didn't affect the others. They all passed each other from time to time. And still, Marge couldn't understand their sanctimonious attitude. She was referring to the Lantzses and all the other parents who were present. They went back to their lives like nothing ever happened. But Marge always knew the truth. She knew the dark side inherent in each of those god-fearing parents. She even knew the truth about Ross Kincaid's disappearance. Donald acted like the upstanding citizen, but Marge knew all along what he was capable of. What about the victims? How could they all return to their lives and forget about Eleanor and Maria?

Perhaps it was because Marge spent the most time with Eleanor. Eleanor was a homemaker that would occasionally babysit Nancy and some of the other neighborhood kids. Whenever the kids played in the neighborhood playground, Marge and Eleanor would chat underneath the trees. Of what Marge could gather from Eleanor's broken English, her grandparents were mum about their time in Poland. Eleanor was kept in the dark about her family's life during World War II. She lived a lonely and secretive life as Eleanor Gorgski until she married Adam Hathaway. Then, Eleanor was whisked away from New York City like a fairy tale, and gave birth to a beautiful daughter. Maria was golden-haired like her mother. She had a shy expression in her blue eyes that was in keeping with her quiet demeanor. People would often mistake Maria and Tina Gray for twins. But Tina was always a rambunctious child, and the supposed similarities would always be put to rest.

But there was another difference between Tina and Maria. Maria was trusting just like her mother. Eleanor had led a sheltered life, so she didn't see any potential dangers. Marge grew accustomed to the seedier aspects of life, ever since her marriage to Donald. Every night, Donald would return home from work like a war hero—telling stories about criminals, juvenile delinquents, perverts, and others. Before meeting Donald, Marge would have likely attended a Catholic college and become a teacher. But the moment she laid eyes on Donald, Marge's future was practically written for her. Marge never did achieve her dream. But she did what was expected of her, especially when she became a mother.

She remembers the day vividly. Marge was picking up Nancy from preschool when she heard the news from Tina's mother. Maria went missing and there was an investigation. Marge was tempted to call Donald, but she knew he would divulge the details when he returned home. She did call Eleanor, but Adam answered the phone instead. She left a message with Adam for Eleanor, and wished them both the best. Marge could tell from Adam's voice that he was consumed with worry.

By the time Donald returned home, Marge had already tucked Nancy in for bed. Judging by Donald's expression, Marge feared the worst. Marge took in the words as Donald described the whole scenario as a possible homicide. He told Marge about how Eleanor discovered Maria was missing. Eleanor was tending to her garden, while Maria was riding her tricycle down the block. Maria would ring her bell so that Eleanor knew where she was. Eleanor didn't think much of it when the bell stopped ringing. She walked down the tree-lined Elm Street towards the park. And then, Eleanor noticed that Maria's red tricycle was hidden behind one of the bushes. When she pulled the tricycle out, Eleanor went into hysterics when she saw some blood on the bars. There was silence between the couple as Donald took a swig from her beer. "It just doesn't look good, Marge, baby," said Donald.

Indeed, it would not turn out well. No sooner after Maria's disappearance, other children followed. At first, the majority of missing children were girls. But then, boys started disappearing as well. The age gamut ran from three years of age to twelve. Marge remembers the sleepless nights that Donald had. They cut down on Nancy's activities, keeping an even closer eye on her. The entire town of Springwood was on lockdown for an entire year. There were few leads, though an elderly woman swore that she saw a man from a distance one evening. The suspect was in shadow, but the woman could see the outlines of a fedora hat. The cops were reluctant to believe her story. After all, the woman was ninety years old and had poor eyesight. Just when the cops believed they knew the suspect's modus operandi—like a victim profile—he would capture a child from another ethnicity. Eventually, the bodies would begin turning up. The children would be discovered with their eyes gouged out, and slash marks on their legs and back. Worse yet, there was evidence that the children were sexually violated. As the bodies were being discovered, one body was not to be found—Maria's. Whenever it was announced that a child's body was found, Eleanor would visit the police station. She went from looking like a beautiful, healthy woman in her twenties to a thin, frail woman. Eleanor looked so brittle that Marge was afraid to hug her.

Finally, a big break came in the most unlikely way. A local woman, Loretta Krueger, had disappeared. Her husband Freddy claimed that Loretta left town to visit relatives and never came back. But when his daughter Katherine was being watched by a policewoman, something more frightening was revealed. Katherine witnessed Freddy strangle Loretta to death. The police arrested Freddy, and Lt. Blocker ordered that his men search through the house. Ross Kincaid made the grisly discovery: he found Maria's corpse chained to a bathroom sink. She had not been dead for long, which made the police believe that her killing occurred shortly after Loretta's.

Everything seemed to point towards Freddy Krueger, and his eerie face was broadcasted in the media. The Springwood Police Department did not have probable cause to search the Krueger residence. The testimony given by Katherine Krueger was thrown out since Krueger's public defender claimed that the little girl was coaxed by authorities. In addition, Loretta's body was never found if she was indeed murdered. Despite the discovery of Maria's body, Krueger's attorney argued that Loretta might've killed the little girl and fled Springwood rather than be punished for her crime. Although the district attorney argued that Freddy was a sex offender with murderous tendencies, there was nothing to prove the argument. Freddy had no prior criminal history. Despite having a troubled and abusive upbringing, there was nothing to convince the judge that Freddy was indeed the perpetrator. Therefore, Freddy Krueger was freed on a technicality. Marge remembers that the entire courthouse was in shock. Eleanor went into hysterics again, and Adam had to restrain her.

It was obvious that the nightmare was not over. Lt. Blocker's family was being targeted, and a surveillance team was put into place. An officer was murdered, and an investigation was underway. But the parents grew tired of waiting again, and with Lt. Blocker and Ross Kincaid leading the pack, they tracked Freddy Krueger to a factory in Steels, and made the grisly discoveries. There was an ice cream truck, which explained how Freddy was able to kidnap the children so easily. As they followed Krueger into his secret hideout, they found articles of clothing from the missing children. But it was the photographs that lined a wall that turned everybody's stomach. There were numerous pictures of kids Freddy was going to target: Nancy, Tina, Glen, and Rod were among them. They all cornered Freddy while he was sharpening his finger knives. There was a box in the corner filled with other macabre gloves, which were probably transported from his house. Despite the anger that filled every parent, fear thickened the air around them. Lt. Blocker was too cowardly to do anything, so Donald stepped forward and poured the gasoline on Krueger. Krueger winced in pain as the gasoline stung his eyes.

"Someone light a match already!" yelled Donald.

The parents were frozen in place. Marge took out the lighter from her coat, flipped the switch, and threw it at the puddle at Krueger's feet.

As the flames engulfed Freddy Krueger's body, Marge Thompson never strayed. The others moved back against the wall. Donald had to help Lt. Blocker, who had inhaled some of the smoke. Marge remembers that Ross Kincaid was shaking his head in disbelief. When the flames finally died down, everybody began leaving the room. Marge was the last to leave. But she had to take a memento with her: the finger knives.

Even though they moved out of their cramped apartment into a nice home, Marge still couldn't let go of Freddy Krueger's death.

It appeared that Marge wasn't the only person. Chaos spread throughout Springwood. Lt. Blocker died from a dental accident. One of his daughters killed her twin sister. Rod's father David was killed by his wife during a domestic dispute. The Grays divorced, and Tina was raised in a single-parent household. Ross Kincaid _disappeared_, and never got to be a father to his infant son. Ross's case was the worst thing for Marge to carry. People would die in mysterious ways until the town became quiet again.

But before the silence, there was Eleanor. Poor, dear Eleanor. When she laid her child to rest in the cemetery, Eleanor went home, took every pill in her medicine cabinet, and committed suicide. Adam was beside himself with grief. He had discovered her body. Blood was pouring out of Eleanor's nose and eyes. Her death wasn't slow. Marge wondered what ever happened to Adam. He left Springwood after burying Eleanor. You might say that Eleanor's suicide was the coda. Just a few months ago, a new family moved into that house…the Jameses or the Johnsons…Marge couldn't remember.

Despite being the one that lighted the flame, Marge still couldn't let go. She began drinking some of Donald's alcohol until she began purchasing bottles of her own. She began smoking just like her father did, especially during stressful times. The life that Marge envisioned for herself was slowly dying. Her dreams of giving Nancy a little brother or sister was ruined with the miscarriages. Eventually, Donald didn't even want to touch Marge and she responded in kind. So when Donald announced that he was leaving Marge for another woman, Marge had little to say.

On the day that the divorce papers were finalized, Marge drove throughout Springwood in a fog. It may seem like Marge was driving to rid herself of the pain. But she was actually willing herself towards a specific destination. She parked in front of 1428 Elm Street. The "For Sale" sign gleamed in the sunlight. Since Donald threw away their marriage, Marge was going to hit him where it hurt the most: his pride. Marge was going to let Donald have their old house. What better way to begin a life with his floozy then in the home that his first wife had lived? His first wife, in turn, would move into the residence of the town's most hated killer. At the time, Marge was beaming with self-satisfaction. She would purchase the house with her inheritance, and there was nothing that Donald could ever do.

_This house_, thought Marge, as she heard Nancy slam the front door.

"Mother!" yelled Nancy.

"Over here," said Marge.

"What with the bars?" asked Nancy.

"Security," said Marge, absent-mindedly.

"Security? Security from what?" asked Nancy.

"Not from what…whom," said Marge.

_Whom?_ thought Marge to herself. Was "whom" Nancy, Freddy, or herself. Marge didn't have that answer yet. All she knew was that Nancy needed to learn the truth, and Donald was damn well not going to tell her. _I love you, my little Nancy,_ thought Marge, _but it's time for daddy's little girl to grow up._


End file.
